Star Trek: Surefoot
] Star Trek: Surefoot is a fanfiction series set in the Next Generation Era. The main protagonist is Captain Esek Hrelle, an older Caitian in command of the fleet tender vessel USS Surefoot. Overview Captain Esek Hrelle, former captain of the frigate Furyk, was based at Station Salem Four, married to human engineer Hannah Eismann and stepdaughter to 10-year-old Sasha. One day, he left the station in response to a distress call.. and never came back. Days later, Salem Four was attacked by the criminal Bel-Zon in raid for trilithium resin, killing many there - including Hannah. When Starfleet found the Fury, they discovered the crew dead, and Hrelle missing. Starfleet court-martialled him in absentia, believing he had betrayed the uniform and colluded with the Bel-Zon. In truth, he had been tortured for Salem Four's security codes, and then sold into slavery, where he spent six years working in mines, fighting rings and toxic chambers, before effecting an escape. He was subsequently retried and cleared of any charges of treason, though a faction in Starfleet Intelligence refused to accept this and continued to investigate him. Hrelle turns down command of frigates, cruisers and border ships, settling on a supply ship rechristened the USS Surefoot, on a safe run within Federation space, chiefly because it will be one of the vessels participating in Starfleet Academy's Advanced Work Experience (AWE) Program, whereby gifted cadets continue to study while serving onboard ships performing actual missions. And because his stepdaughter Sasha, now 17, is one of the cadets in the Program. Since then, the old supply ship Surefoot was found to be irreparably damaged from undiagnosed shiprot, but Hrelle managed to get a new Surefoot, a Sabre-class fleet tender currently serving along the Federation-Cardassian border, resupplying the patrol vessels there - as well as serving as an unofficial Strategic Operations Officer for teh sector, compensating for the general lack of experience of the younger crews out there. Cast of Characters *'Captain Esek Hrelle:' Captain Hrelle is a Caitian, a felinoid race. He has had a long and lauded history within Starfleet, serving as captain of the USS Furyk. He is facetious, irreverent, and paternal, talking of the cadets as his 'cubs'. *'Commander T'Varik:' Commander T’Varik is a Vulcan, who has served for 30 years as an instructor in various subjects at the Academy. She was a proponent of the Advanced Work Experience (AWE) Program which allowed second-year and older cadets to continue their education while performing actual duties onboard starships. She is second in command of the Surefoot, although she has never served onboard a starship before, and has the final say over the cadets’ academic side. She was initially wary of Captain Hrelle’s paternal style of command, but is beginning to appreciate its benefits. *'Counselor Kami Hrelle:' Kami is Caitian as well, a mother and widow, her husband Rmorra having died while serving as a Starfleet security officer years before. She is tasked with maintaining the emotional and mental well-being of the cadets as well as the crew, and especially Hrelle, who is still recovering from his ordeal. She maintains an unusual relationship with him due to the figurative shields he puts up around himself, a relationship that veers from flirting to swiping him across his muzzle as and when appropriate. But since those days, as he improved, they fell in love, eventually marrying and producing a cub of their own, Misha Hrelle. *'Squad Leader Sasha Eismann Hrelle:' Human stepdaughter to Captain Hrelle, though both often just drop the “step” part, given the closeness of their relationship both before and after his disappearance. Intelligent and feisty, she has continuously defended him against his detractors, sometimes even to the point of fisticuffs. She is on the Command track, and is the leader of the cadet’s Alpha Squad as well as serving as an ops officer. *'Cadet Giles Arrington:' Human cadet who was also on the command track, but currently serves in Flight Ops, helming the Surefoot or shuttles on various missions. His extended family, all Starfleet personnel who have hated Captain Hrelle, initially coloured his opinion, but on meeting the man, he is beginning to form opinions of his own. He can be glib and smarmy and fancies himself a ladies’ man, though his time onboard the ship is maturing him. *'Cadet Eydiir Daughter-of-Kaas:' Capellan cadet studying Medicine, a capacity her Spartan warrior race finds incomprehensible, though she sees the fight against injury or disease every bit as honourable as fighting Klingons. Eydiir (pronounced "Eye-dire") is tall, taciturn but with an acerbic wit. She is best friends with Sasha and will be protective of her. *'Cadet Neraxis Nemm:' Bolian cadet studying Security. Bald and blue-skinned with a ridge bisecting her and a caustic body chemistry, she has a crude, boisterous wit, and since then has matured and grown. *'Cadet Jonas Ostrow:' Human cadet who grew up on the distant world Hyralin with his mother and her vessel salvage company, he is small, slight and self-conscious but has deeply embraced his new family within Alpha Squad. Growing up helping his mother, he has developed a proficiency for diagnosing equipment and has great practical experience with activities such as spacewalks and managing equipment. After an ecounter with a rogue telepath, his insecurities heightened to the point of attempted suicide, but renewed Counseling guided him past this. Now he acts on a pro tem basis as a Strategic Engineering Officer, troubleshooting unique engineering problems. *'Cadet Kitirik Abyss Zuinthinem Emijiz:' Kit for short, he is Qarari, a non-Federation race recently contacted. They are reptilian, with one female but five male genders, each gender appearing slightly different and performing different functions within their society (Warriors, Workers, Chancellors, Seekers, and a fifth as yet revealed). Kit is a Seeker, who serve as scientists. He is etiquette driven, fascinated by humanoids and very enthusiastic to be a part of Starfleet. *'Cadet Meow Rrori:' A Caitian pilot cadet who replaced Giles as Alpha Squad's Flight Ops Specialist when Giles took over leadership of Beta Squad, Rrori (he preferes not to use his first name for some reason) is handsome, multitalented, and exceedingly vain and sex-obsessed, though his aspirations have shrunk since joining the Surefoot. *'Lt. Neheru:' A Kelpien Ops officer who had been present during the construction of the Surefoot-A, he met Hrelle when the ship was attacked by pirates and Hrelle took her over for his new mission. As a Kelpien, he is attuned to danger, the tendrils on the back of his neck extending when he senses danger. Hrelle aprpeciates this ability, wanting to keep his cadets out of danger. *'Doctor Ezekiel Masterson:' A human from the colony world of Coldwater, a place where the American frontier was recreated, "Doc" is an easy-talking, Stestson-wearing, handsome man, with a talent for the guitar and a mischeivous twinkle. *'Chief Gre' '''v: '''The Chief Engineer, a veteran Tellarite with a typically gruff manner that some mistake for rudeness but is in fact part of his people's Banter, he gets along well with Jonas. Stories (in chronological order) *The Universe Had Other Plans *Imbarazzo *Field Trip *The Nist Sanction *Secrets and Lies *Grey Matters *The Uncertainty Principle *The Walking Wounded *Rising Star *The Fast and the Furriest *Patterns, Repeated *Vectors *Shakedown *Flinch *Day of the Dead *Inseparable *Star Crossed *The Short and the Hungry *One Man's Eden *Space Oddity *Birthpains *Baby Steps *Snakes on a Starship *Cross Porpoises *Who We Are Category:Stories Category:Novels